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Experts: Next Hezbollah war with Israel inevitable, will be devastating

World Israel News

Experts: Next Hezbollah war with Israel inevitable, will be devastating

November 1, 2017

The only way to deter Hezbollah and Iran from attacking Israel is by giving Israel the full ability to fight back, leading military experts contend.

A war between Israel and the Hezbollah terror organization is inevitable and will likely be “more violent and destructive” than the previous conflicts, according to a report by the High Level Military Group (HLMG), a think tank comprised of former senior defense officials.

In the report, titled “Hezbollah’s Terror Army: How to Prevent a Third Lebanon War,” the experts describe Hezbollah as being “widely considered to be the most powerful non-state armed actor in the world.”

The Iranian-backed terrorist organization, which is in complete political and military control of Lebanon, “has the political clout of a government, the firepower of an army and the strategic approach of a terrorist organization,” according to their assessment.

Hezbollah currently has a stockpile of over 130,000 rockets, more than the combined arsenal of all NATO countries, with the exception of the US, a June 2016 report said.

Hezbollah’s rocket capabilities “have increased tenfold since the 2006 war, and present a threat few countries, much less sub-state organizations, on the globe can mount,” the report says.

The majority of Hezbollah’s projectiles are short-range rockets, but thousands have a much larger range, up to 150 miles and more. “Not only has the sheer numeric scale of the threat increased exponentially, but the lethality is greatly increased on account of larger payloads, range and higher targeting accuracy,” the report underscores.

Hezbollah has also mounted a “greatly expanded intelligence effort.” It has numerous intelligence-gathering units focused on Israel, generating an extensive bank of targets, including many vital and sensitive Israeli infrastructure facilities.”

The report assesses both the IDF’s and Hezbollah’s strategies and capabilities 11 years after the Second Lebanon War, the last time Israel and Hezbollah engaged in full-blown combat.

The HLMG believes that a war with Hezbollah is not imminently on the horizon, as the terrorist group is still embroiled in fighting on behalf of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. However, the experts warn “its actions and propaganda suggest that it considers its ability to fight a war with Israel as a given.”

The HLMG further cautioned, “The timing of such a conflict is likely to be determined by miscalculation as much as decision-making in Iran and Lebanon.”

The group said that should such a war break out, it will be brutal and bloody for both sides, due to the improvements Israel and Hezbollah have made to their respective military capabilities.

The report further notes that Hezbollah’s expanded weapons stockpiles are embedded among the civilian population of Lebanon, a deliberate strategy which the defense experts say is a “war crime.”

In this context, the HLMG also expresses criticism of the United Nations (UN) for its “evident severe failure” to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah and calls for a demilitarized south Lebanon.

The report also calls for “a clear recognition of the geopolitical ambitions of Iran. Its religiously motivated imperialism and its pursuit of Israel’s annihilation is the core driver of the problem and must be addressed as its root. The international community must take actions to curtail Iran’s activities, raise the cost of its behavior and engage in efforts at deterrence.”

How to Prevent a Disastrous War
The report concludes by urging the West to “strongly support Israel in its efforts to de-escalate the tensions.”

“There is no plausible legitimate explanation for Hezbollah’s efforts to arm itself and threaten Israel other than the explicit religiously motivated Iranian drive to destroy Israel,” and therefore, the only way to prevent such a cataclysmic conflict is by the international community ensuring “not only that Israel has the diplomatic cover, but rather also the military means and room for maneuver, so as to send a clear message to Iran and Hezbollah that it will be confronted by a superior military force with the full support of its allies were they to seek an escalation. Such a display of strength and unity is the best hope of preventing a conflagration that the majority of Lebanese citizens do not wish to be dragged into by Hezbollah – and which Israel’s leaders and citizens do not want to see happen either.”

The HLMG, which was formed in 2015 to explore the challenges of 21st century warfare, brings together several former army chiefs of staff from Western nations, including from the US, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Colombia, India, and Australia.

By: World Israel News Staff and the Tower

Comments

Raymond Mars • 2 days ago

I am 100% in allowing Israel to fight back with all means necessary. If that means them resorting to tactical nuclear weapons, so be it!

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Cyprus Satnav Raymond Mars • 3 hours ago

EXACTLY!

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EllyR Raymond Mars • 3 hours ago

That is very generous of you but the proximity of South Lebanon and North Israel will not allow such use without dire consequences for Israel. Landing such weapons in the land that fathers Hezbollah might be much more effective.

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jgarbuz EllyR • 2 hours ago

Yes, and before North Korea builds and ships many H-bombs it's building back to Iran soon. Even without nukes, Iran itself has over 1000 IRBMS with 2000 lb (1000 kgm) bombs targeting Tel Aviv and Haifa. Even without nukes, if they got through they could level Tel Aviv and Haifa right now even without nukes. These are not Saddam's old Scuds. Israel does not yet have enough Arrow IIs and IIIs to stop such an avalanche of heavy missiles. So if a war is coming it better be soon but if Israel chooses not to use its nukes first, it better count on saying goodbye to Tel Aviv and Haifa, but I suspect Jerusalem will not be targeted. If war is inevitable then better sooner than later. For little Israel it could be too late.

Who speaks of south Lebanon. NORTH it is: electrical grid - detonating oil reservoirs - destroying road and bridges and putting on fire all the forests. It's

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jgarbuz EllyR • 2 hours ago

No the use of tactical nukes againts Hezbollah won't produce that much radiation blow back. what I worry about is the heavy ballistic missiles Iran has pointed at Israel with 2000 pound warheads each.

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garry pollack EllyR • an hour ago

Tehran!!!

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Amir Sahimi • a day ago

You'd have to cut the serpent's head to get rid of it. War after war just depletes their arsenal which they often replenish. The only way to destroy Hezbollah is the rid the world of the IRI (mullahs/ayatollahs in Iran)

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Sylvain Assouline Amir Sahimi • 2 hours ago

Soon the ayatollahs will be decimated by their own people who are fed up and vomiting these animals.

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Fuzzy Ashkenazim • 2 days ago

God always gets the glory when the odds are stacked against Israel, and Israel's enemies are still defeated. We serve a great God.

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EllyR Fuzzy Ashkenazim • 3 hours ago

You serve a great nonsense and contaminate the space with religious crap, as usual...

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Saved1973 EllyR • 26 minutes ago

Are you totally ignorant of Israels history, & the mighty works done by God on Israels behalf? The only "crap" I see here is coming from you.

“Oh ye of little faith” Only an awesome God could raise a victorious nation from dry bones. Enough said.

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EllyR Tina USA • 28 minutes ago

"Oh ye of exaggerated faith in non existing gods". The dry bones of 6 million Jewish victims of WWII are still dry. The victorious nation was created and developed by the survivors, not any god. What you said is false thinking and false interpretation of history!

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Tom • 2 days ago

IDF must wipe out Hamas in the next war. Give Gaza a clean sweep of all Hamas and take over all Gaza. Rule it with an iron fist. Next take on Iran's watemellon-head ayatollahs, go after all the Ayatollahs and finish them off.

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Alfredo Leandro • 3 hours ago

You have to attack Iran if hezbola begin a war. You must destroy Iran to the floor.

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Cyprus Satnav • 3 hours ago
If Israel has to use small nukes then so be it!

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EllyR Cyprus Satnav • 3 hours ago

You mean pocket nukes?

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Phil Lesh Fan • 2 days ago

Sadly, Israel did not finish the job in 2006. Eleven years of allowing Hezbollah to morph into the monster it apparently has become. To wait any longer, and to allow Hezbollah to continue to replicate, will be disastrous. To confront them now, striking first, would be disastrous.

Leaving a war unfinished is disastrous. What we read about here, regarding Hezbollah, is taking place, no doubt, with Hamas. Bummer...

This scenario is very frightening. Considering all the reports and the implications, war with Israel's enemies is immanent.

The very sad thing, is that Israel will have to fight a war without anyone's help, just like the previous wars. No nation will lift a hand as this will be politically incorrect.

Israel, (by itself) could have blasted Iran and it's proxies years ago, but was prevented by all it's,so-called friends who threatened her , and, like a true pedigree woman, Israel abstained.

As I look back at some of my comments that I had written awhile back, there is one, where I said, let Israel do her thing, then there will be a UN resolution and the countries will have a panic attack.

Israel will then take the heat (as usual),but the mission would have been accomplished. And, no one would thank Israel, just like the attack she made in Syria vis-a-vis it's nuclear aspirations.

Shame on the UN, EU.,and the US for missing a golden opportunity.

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Saved1973 gornisht • 19 minutes ago

You mean 'shame on Obama'. In case you hadn't noticed, our current President doesn't CARE about political correctness.

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Michael Shookhtim • 3 hours ago

Thank you Obama and his Jewish voters who still support him

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yehuda braun Michael Shookhtim • 3 hours ago

Did any Bush do anything about Iran, other than get rid of Sadaam?

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tarkus yehuda braun • 2 hours ago

Trump is 'blessed' with the naivety and weakness of his predecessors (especially Obama ). Just like with n-korea

The Lord is Almighty and will stand up for His people Israel. He may not be visible to us, but His deeds are visible enough. Witness Israel's wars. In 1967 Israel;s ragtag little army defeated several enemies much mightier that it. It was the Lord who helped them! And He will help them again!!!

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Elkana • 2 hours ago

Any weapon formed against Israel shall not prosper. Baruch HaShem.

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lewjac3 • 2 hours ago

This is why I was a proponent of attacking them when they were fighting their fellow muslims creating two fronts.

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Leonid • 2 hours ago

To quote: " The report concludes by urging the West to “strongly support Israel in its efforts to de-escalate the tensions.” "

I think it is clear enough this is not going to happen.

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RayinBaltimore • 23 minutes ago

Israel needs to prepare the world for massive attacks on all locations known to house rockets, even if it means destroying civilian sites storing the weapons

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Martyman39 • 31 minutes ag

When push comes to shove, Israel will take care of business as they did in 1967 when the Arabs threatened to "drive the Jews into the sea" and in 1981 when they took out Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor, and what they are currently doing to Syria's arms factories. In this instance, the IAF will be virtually unchallenged.

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Jill Abbott • an hour ago

A conflagration is in order in Lebanon. You ask for it, you get it. Israel should move now while Hezbollah is distracted and engaged in Syria.
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garry pollack • an hour ago

I M sure they have made it very clear to Iran...if ure proxies hurt us...we will hurt U!...for whatever good that will do!

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Alec Becker • an hour ago

Israel will try to avoid killing civilians as they always have, but as the Hezbollah and Iran on the other hand will try to kill Israeli children and citizens regardless.

So in the end, Israel will have to ignore the U. N. and the rest of its detractors and just concentrate in trying to survive. This might mean they should make a preemptive strike against Hezbollah and Iran and to hell with political correctness.

Because if it gets to a case of survival then I would think there might be a case unfortunately for tactical nuclear weapons.

So these anti Israel haters at the U. N. and elsewhere will have cancers in their mouths and in their persons. Because they are the cause not the solution.

Thus a possible third world war because of them.

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Sam Capper Alec Becker • an hour ago

Yes Israel is fully capable of doing its job and act in self defence.
Anyway there is always been disunity among the muslims they fight each other when it comes to money.